Azubuike has been an analyst on the Warriors' pre- and postgame shows for the past four yearswarriors
The Warriors have hired Kelenna Azubuike as their new TV color analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, replacing Jim Barnett, who has been a "longtime staple of the game broadcasts" and will now "transition to radio," according to Ron Kroichick of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The moves "ended lingering uncertainty about Barnett’s future with the Warriors." The team "nearly replaced him" after the '13-14 season, when his contract expired. Barnett had "fully expected to move into an ambassador’s role with the team at the time." Azubuike, 35, will partner with play-by-play broadcaster Bob Fitzgerald on TV. This counts as a "high-profile promotion for Azubuike, who has served as an analyst on Warriors Pregame and Postgame Live the past four years" (S.F CHRONICLE, 7/27). In San Jose, Chuck Barney wrote for "any pre-bandwagon Warriors fan, the shift rekindled sour memories" of '14 and the first time the team "tried to shove Barnett out of the TV booth." That decision "raised the ire of viewers who had grown to appreciate -- even count on -- Barnett’s insightful analysis over three decades." There was "such an uproar, in fact, that a fan campaign was launched to save Barnett’s job and the Warriors, thankfully, backtracked." After Azubuike was announced as Barnett's replacement, there "again was some grumbling." A few "angry fans even insisted they would abandon the TV broadcasts in favor of the radio." However, the much younger Azubuike "undoubtedly has a better handle on, and insight into, the modern NBA" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 7/28).
CHANGING OF THE GUARD: The MERCURY NEWS' Barney wrote the Warriors "apparently believe it’s time to give their television team a fresh look." Azubuike played four seasons with the Warriors from '06-10. Warriors President & COO Rick Welts in a statement said Azubuike is "one of the bright, young stars in the broadcasting business." Barnett had been the "second-longest tenured color analyst in the NBA" behind the Celtics' Tommy Heinsohn. The changes are a "sign that the Warriors and NBC Sports Bay Area weren’t in favor of a three-person TV booth." The RSN had "occasionally experimented with Fitzgerald, Barnett and Azubuike working together on the broadcasts" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 7/27).
